Sales & Service: Reaching your goals

As pest management professionals (PMPs), you must set goals; and to set those goals properly, you need to invest a lot of time prioritizing, possibly more than you want. That’s one reason only 3 percent of the population have clearly defined their objectives in life or business. If it were easy, everybody would do it.

After setting your goals, commit to reach them. Daily discipline is the key. Be honest with yourself, and don’t set unachievable goals. You’re only setting yourself up for failure, which isn’t healthy for your or your team’s self-esteem. Break down your intermediate and long-range goals into increments; don’t announce, “We’re going to grow by 200 percent this year!” Instead, shoot for a more realistic 20 percent, and show everyone in your organization your goals aren’t irrational. It takes energy, mental toughness and motivation to achieve them. Don’t let others steal your dreams. Most likely, they’re the ones who don’t want you to succeed because it can make them look bad.

You can’t control the weather, inflation or other obstacles that might arise, so be ready to change your direction or take a different path to reach your goals. You might have to adjust other factors and work as a team. Visualize what reaching your goals will mean to each employee. Share your goals, and involve everyone so they can work toward achieving the same goal. Each time you reach a new level of success, applaud everyone and provide the much-needed praise they deserve.

After reaching goals, set new ones immediately. Don’t become complacent and satisfied with where you are. Let everyone know you’re committed to continuously moving the company forward. You might need a quick break, but only to plan your next goals. This will demonstrate leadership your employees expect and value. You might need to seek information about how to set goals from many sources, including books and audiobooks. What you achieve by reaching your goals isn’t as important as how reaching those goals changes you. Remember, you can’t hit a target you don’t have. pmp

You can reach Johnson, a past president of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) and current president of Sevierville, Tenn.-based Johnson Pest Control, at ray@johnsonpestcontrol.com.